Roscommon has been allocated a total of €445,495 under the Local Improvement Scheme as part of further Government investment in rural roads and laneways.
A further €10.5 million in national funding was recently announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, bringing the overall annual spend to a record €21 million.
Under the scheme, Roscommon has been allocated €375,104 for Round 1 2021, and €70,391 for Round 2 2021 – a total of €445,495 for the year.
The Local Improvement Scheme is designed to support the continued improvement of non-public roads in rural communities and improves access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches.
The share of the additional funding that is being allocated to each county under this second round comes following engagement between the Department of Rural and Community Development and local authorities.
The county allocations are based on the level of works that each local authority indicated they could complete before the end of the year. The higher the level of demand that could be met by a local authority before the end of the year, the higher the level of funding they have been allocated.
Making the announcement, Minister Humphreys said: “’Our Rural Future’, the Government’s ambitious five-year policy for rural Ireland, commits to increasing the Government’s investment in our rural roads through the Local Improvement Scheme.
“I was delighted to secure a further €10.5 million for the scheme, which doubles our investment under the scheme this year to €21 million – the highest annual allocation since the scheme was re-introduced. This additional funding demonstrates my commitment to improving connectivity for rural residents – whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities”.
Under LIS, local authorities are responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme, in consultation with residents/landowners. The works must be completed before the end of the year.
